Bells Hopslam

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Amazingly delicous. Citrus, pine and creamy hops. Hop juicyness does not linger but what does linger is great. Full body even looks good in the glass. Big fruit flavor of pinapple, grapefruit, lots of malts and nice rich body.

Numerous bottles drank when visiting Michigan. Pours a thick dark orange color with a bright white foamyhead. Nose is sugar, caramel, nice floral hops. Palate is sticky and sugary, coats the mouth. Flavors are fresh hops with a lot of caramel and sugary sweetness. cheeks stick to gums. teeth are resinated. delicious

12 oz bottle. Yellow orange with a light haze. Small egg shell head. Orange zest and fresh cut grass. Candied ginger and later musk. Juicy and resinous grapefruit and nectarine. A little fizz then a clean and airy, drying finish. Faint cherry counters lingering hops. Tasty.

12oz bottle, batch 8907. Mostly clear deep gold-orange color with a small white head that leaves some spotty lace. Citrus, melon rind, alcohol, sweet honey, and spicy herbal hop aroma. Quite sweet, with a touch of honey and bread. Some fruity, citrucy hop flavor and a finish that almost gets dry and bitter until the sweetness comes back in and sticks to the back of the tongue. Medium bodied and rather light feel overall, which helps to partially mitigate the sweetness. This could use either a ton more hops, or a much dryer finish. I’ll stick to two hearted. (7,4,6,4,13=3.4) Rerate: Same batch, a couple more bottles have been mused over. Impressions: The aroma is a nice citric-fruity hop and sweet honey malt combo, though it’s a bit light for a double IPA. The flavor, while still falling more on the sweet side, is dryer than I had previously thought. It’s not the residual sugar so much as the lack of stronger bittering hops that set the balance this way. I think that the fruity hop flavor and more modest bitterness combine to give a sweet, fruity overall impression. It is growing on me. A balanced and very drinkable IIPA. The body is about as light as I can imagine a 10%abv beer being. If it weren’t for the alcohol presence, this could be almost a regular IPA. While I more intense and complex overall hop character could transform this beer into something amazing, it is still enjoyable and deserves a couple more points. (7,4,7,4,14=3.6) Rerate: on tap at Brickskeller. More bitterness and assertive hop flavors, still very drinkable. Freshness seems to be the world in this beer. Hopslam has beer my learning experience with balanced IIPAs, and I like it more every time I have it. (7,4,8,4,15=3.8) More Random Indecisiveness: had it again, and, eh,.

Whewww! Got one of the last six packs, thanks Solan. Was going to wait to have one, but I think I will put off work and test drive this beast. Pours out a nice deep amber with a frothy white head. Aroma is very strong citrus, grapefruit, floral, honey,and pine. An amazing explosion of taste upon the first sip. The hops are incredibly dominant (duh!) and has an almost grapefruit dry/bitter taste. My wife almost spit it out and said it tasted just like grapefruit juice (well i like grapefruit juice!). After a few sips you start to get hint of malt and honey, but it is a struggle for them to be noticed. Be careful of the subtle 10% alcohol, it is well hidden. Finishes pretty nice, with only a mild bitterness left on the tongue, which you would expect. Overall, an intense experience of slamming hops for people who like to abuse themselves in such a manner. I might like to see a touch more of the honey or malt poke through, but otherwise, wonderful.

Thanks to emacgee for this one. Foggy orange pour with a tall foamy head with a lot of retention. The aroma had several types of hops on the nose with some floral notes as well. An alcoholic tingle is felt on the initial with a thicker than normal mouthfeel. Hops play a large role in the taste but there are also hints of honey and citrus. Well balanced flavors provide for a sweet finish. Fantastic!

Pours a deep, ripe apricot color w/ a medium sized semi creamy froth. Head retention is good w/ frothy residual lacing creating pancake spatter. Aroma is candy sweet w/ punchy hopsy citrus cards that create a boquet of perfumey flowers. Medium nectar w/ soft and creamy residual effers. Everything hits you at the same time. A mild sweetness, brutal hopsy citrus chards, and thick caramel malts slap you around fom sip one. It’s not overly malty. Flavors of hard candy, caramel, citrus rind, vanilla bean cream, marshmellow, and other tropical flavors. The finish is long. Theres a residual sweetness that gets slaughtered by the blades of a thousand daggers. Bitterness sets in like a frost bitten winters night. But I keep coming back for more. A well balanced, good brew.

12 oz bottle thanks to my SS! Hazy orange in color with a tall fluffed head. Grapefruit hop aroma and a little pine, definitely some Cs in there cascade for sure but a nice blend of hops. Slick medium bodied mouthfeel where I can almost feel the hops on my cheeks before I taste them. Grapefruitty flavors with a carmel base. A pretty solid IPA although lacking that extra punch to make this rise up with the true great Double I’s in this world. But hey you gotta love that label.